Like members of many religious faiths, Latter-day Saints wear religious clothing. But members of other faiths — typically those involved in permanent pastoral ministries or religious services — usually wear religious garments as outer ceremonial vestments or symbols of recognition. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, garments are worn beneath street clothing as a personal and private reminder of commitments to God.

Garments are considered sacred by Church members and are not regarded as a topic for casual conversation. (LDS Newsroom)

I’ve personally never really paid that much attention to why people of various religions wear certain clothes…especially their underwear! However, as a Mormon, somehow this topic gets brought up on occasion and I can understand our friends of other faiths having questions about why we wear garments.

For example, I was on a business trip a few years ago and shared a room with a colleague. When we were changing he looked at me and had a hard time not doing a double take. He had questions…a lot of them. All I knew was that it is emphasized that garments are not used for casual conversation and I’m afraid I confused him more than helped him with my vague explanation of why we wear garments.

…the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.

I’m not sure why I hadn’t really paid attention to this before, but one purpose for the garment is to remind us of the suffering that Jesus went through for all of us and to remind us that our sins are washed away through his blood. I then became curious and thought I’d look up more scriptures with this imagery and I found quite a few that share similar imagery.

I’m sure if I had sat down with my friend and showed him the scriptures related to the garment, it would have made a lot more sense to him rather than giving a vague answer and telling him it is too sacred to talk about. Our friends may or may not agree with wearing the garments, but they should definitely gain more understanding if we approach it with confidence and understanding from their perspective.

Have any of you had a similar experience? If so, what approach have you taken on explaining the purpose behind wearing the garment?

I think Elder Carlos Asay’s treatment of the garment is pretty good. I noticed that they have adapted some of its language into the temple recommend interview. Kevin Barney has written some to compare the garment with the Jewish tallit, which I have found interesting as well.

You can’t assume that just because they use the word “garment” that they are referring to the Mormon garments. The word garment means simply “an article of clothing” so to put the blanket statement that whenever this term is used they are speaking directly about temple garments is a bit of a stretch. If you filter the search you did to just Bible verses, what is left are versus that really cannot be logically put into that same context. Sin is dirty or filthy so the analogy used for the atoning sacrifice of the Savior is washing your sin away with His blood, making your clothes (garments) white or pure again. This is something that I was taught for years in Mormonism so I find it odd that you draw such a different meaning from this.

Out of the four marks on the garments, there is really only one there is to remind us that Jesus is the Christ. The others are to remind us of covenants made, laws to follow and that we should constantly feed ourselves spiritually and physically. I guess 1 out of 4 ain’t bad. You even quote the church saying that “garments are worn beneath street clothing as a personal and private reminder of commitments to God.” It speaks of remembering the commitments made to God (most are actually made to the church, in front of God) not the Atonement of Christ.

I think part of the interest in Mormon garments is that everyone is so reluctant to speak about them honestly. While on my LDS mission in Spain, I had the opportunity to speak to a few Catholic Priests and they had no problem or reservation explaining what the robes they wear represent. If you were to ask a Mormon about their garments, like your co-worker’s experience, you would probably walk away more confused then before and not get any real answer to your questions. I would assume that the robes and pieces of clothing worn during Catholic Mass are considered “sacred” by them as well but there is no need to be secretive about their purpose or meaning. That, I think, is what makes it so different.

I noticed that you have a plugin on your site or something that is automatically generating links at the bottom of your post. You have two such links on this post under “Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)” that I don’t think you want to have.

So Yo,
I find your comments interesting, esp since I have little knowledge of the garments.

You note that one out of the four marks on the undergarment refer to the atoning blood of Christ; putting your comment with ama’s this mark reminds you of the atoning blood of Christ. The other three marks remind you of covenant promises a baptized mormon has made in connection with his/her baptism. Am I understanding this correctly?

Now, the only comment I can make as an ‘outsider’ pivots on the question of whether this garment is worn voluntarily or as a requirement.

I have a feeling that the garment is required. If so, then this becomes a law or principle upon which your ‘salvation’ or advancement in the kingdom depends. Am I right? If so, then you can see, perhaps, why a Christian would have difficulty with mormon dress, for it would be contrary to what St. Paul says
A) regarding our salvation and
B) regarding laws that speak to those who judge based on laws.

A) Re: salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
B) Re: judgment: see Colossians 2, vv 16, 20, 23, where Paul contests for the saints against those who were imposing laws and regulations that persuaded the people that real salvation comes with faith in Christ PLUS…. their requirements. Paul’s last word on the subject is firm: 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21like “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

It’s interesting that all of Paul’s words focus on our being baptized into Christ. Everything about our salvation and place in the kingdom flows from what God has done for us –and continues to do– IN and THROUGH Christ. It is all about keeping this faith, that Jesus forgives our sins and that as we believe in him, we have what he promises: Eternal life.

Since he declares himself to BE the LIFE, what we have outside of him is NOT LIFE.

Eric,
I enjoy reading your view on things. First I need to make sure that it is understood that after 29 years (I am 30) I am no longer Mormon. I had my name removed from their membership records back in March of this year.

Let me clarify what I wrote about the mark of the garments so you can understand it better.(without too much detail as to not make any members mad)

There are 4 marks on the Garments. There is one over the left breast, one over the right breast, one over the belly button and one over the right knee. They each have a specific meaning…

-The left mark is in the shape of the Masonic compass and it reminds us of an undeviating course leading to eternal life, that we need to keep out carnal passions and desires in check and that truth can be found in certain places.

-The right mark is also of Masonic origin and it is called the square. It is to remind us to keep the covenants we make in the temple with exactness.

-The mark over the navel (belly button) reminds us that we need to feed our body both spiritually and physically.

-The mark that is over the right knee is to remind us of the verse that says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ. This is the one I was referring to when I said that 1 out of the 4 reminds us of Christ.

It is important to note that all that go to the temple (except those who have only done baptisms) are required to wear the garments. It is one of the covenants made there. It is also a question you get asked when you go to get your temple recommend. There are guidelines that you are given to make sure that you are not just wearing them, but that they are worn and treated properly. Can you NOT wear them? Sure, but you will not be allowed back to the temple until you do and you will not be living up to your promises made in the temple which is a pretty serious thing.

I have written more about this topic along with others on my blog so if you would like to read more you can click on my name and it will take you to it.

Ama49 – this is what I am talking about. Sure you wrote a post about Garments but it is far from clear so people are going to come away with more questions than answers.

The garments are worn as a reminder to commitments and covenants made to the Lord. For a good clarification, I would read the talk that I linked to and that J Stapley linked to on comment #2. This is a general authority of the LDS church talking about the purpose of the garment. It is a misconception to think that Mormons believe they can “earn” their salvation and that by wearing the garment one is “saved.” Read this talk and it makes much more sense and it comes from an authority from the LDS church.

I can see your point with your comments if someone were to ask about the markings specifically. As long as it is done in a spirit of reverence and showing how it relates to Jesus, I think you would be fine.

When I’ve been asked (which isn’t all that often), I’ve often said something along the line that people of many religions wear some sort of distinctive clothing or other articles that symbolize their relationship with their God, and that I see the garment as a constant reminder in my faith tradition of what Jesus Christ has done for me. I’ve told them that many Christians wear a cross as a symbol of Jesus dying for them and bringing salvation to them, and that in my religion it’s much the same, except that we wear the symbols underneath our clothing. That answer has generally seemed to be satisfactory.

Soy Yo and ama49,
Thank you for your willingness to share openly. I can’t tell you how many pages I visited covered in distasteful mud-slinging or confusing rhetoric before arriving at this blog. I just wanted to know the purpose and the sacred meaning behind the garments and your posts have been very helpful. You see, I have been dating a young man who is LDS. The other day I saw his garment and I asked him about the stitching on the chest. He told me, “I don’t know. That’s just how they are sewn.” Of course that answer made me even more curious because then I had to wonder if A. He doesn’t really know what he is wearing. or B. He doesn’t want me to know what he is wearing. Now I see that the likelihood was a third answer C. He didn’t feel that it was appropriate to discuss the garments at that time. I wish that he had felt that we could discuss this issue. Because I feel that relationships must begin with trust and honesty. I’ve been a Christian since childhood and I can tell you that if you ask me about my faith I might not be able to answer all your questions, but I will certainly try.

Mark 4:21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?
Mark 4:22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
– New Kings James Version

I’m glad this post and the comments helped you out. I think it is definitely good to be open in a respectful way. I think the reason why many LDS people are afraid to talk about the garments are because

a. We promise not to reveal certain things when we go to the temple, the markings on the garments aren’t one of them.
b. Many people have harrassed us about the garments and other things about our faith so I think many LDS either get defensive or retreat and just don’t talk. Neither of which I agree with.

If I were you, I’d let him know that you feel that you would like things to be more open because you care about him. See if he’s up for it.

Saddly many of us LDS try to dodge direct questions about the things we hold sacred (like Temple Cermony, Covenants, and sacred Garments). His attempt to avoid breaking what he felt was part of his promise, he tried to stop all further questions with the “I don’t know” line.

I think he should have said that it is sacred to him personally and that he was not ready to discuss it with anybody at the time. Or he could have said it was complicated and he did not know how to explain, or if he should…
Many way this could have been handled better, but I am glad to see that you respect his Faith/beleifs/religious practices… ect.
I’d suggest (if you want to approach him again on this issue):
1. Make sure you are secluded – no one else will overhear. this will help to keep the mood private
2. Share with him that you respect his religion/faith, that you respect his customs.
3. let him know that in that respect you are intrested in these customs and want to understand more about them.
4. give him an out if he is not ready to share the information: “I want you to be honest with me, if you are not ready to talk about this then let me know that you are not ready…”
5. Listen and be supportive.

Ah, garments. Markings existed befor J. Smith, The LDS Church, brought fourth from the Masons, But stay unknown
as to their original orgin to the vast members. As for Evil to
triumph all good men must do is nothing. Would one follow as
those did Jim Jones to drinking kool aid and be as lost sheep.
Truly, where did the one who recieved the vision of these
markins originate. What is behind the secret truth of the Masons and the markings. Would one sepculate Joseph Smith as bringing these markings as his personal vision being a
Mason him self.